Metal table formed from sheet material



Nov. 4, 1952 R. s. SANFORD 2,61 ,773

METAL TABLE FORMED FROM SHEET MATERIAL Filed Nov. 28, 1947 2 SHEETSSHEET1 'NVEN TOR.

1952 R. s. SANFORD METAL TABLE FORMED FROM SHEET MATERIAL 2 SHEETSSHEET2 Fil ed Nov. 28, 1947 will/I11,

INVENTOR.

Patented Nov. 4, 1952 METAL TABLE FORMED FRO M SHE MATERIAL RoySws'anford, 'Woodbury, Conn, assignor to Sanford Products, Inc.,W'o'odbury, 001111.,3.

' corporation of Delaware Application November 28, 1947; Serial No.788,354

8 Claims. (Cl. 311-1) This invention relates to a table and it hasparticular relation to a table formed from a single sheet of materialwhich latter isst'amped to form portions which may be bent intooperative positionto constitute the table.

An object of this invention is to provide a sturdy, well-constructedtable which jmay be formed by bending a reinforcing flange and legmembers downwardlyfrom an opening in a centralyportion of a piece ofsheet material in such a manner that very little waste results in themanufacturing operation.

Furtherobjects of this invehtion'will appear from the followingdescriptionthe accompanying drawings and the'appended claims.

In accordance with one embodiment of this 'inventiona table has beenprovided which includes a frame having acentral openin'g the'reindefined by opposing side members and" opposing end membersformed from asheet of planar material. A pair of frame reinforcing flanges areprovided which depend from the inner edges of the end membersboundingsaid frame and extending transversely for substantially theentire width of the opening between the opposing side members; Thestructure also includes a pair of support members including legsdepending from the 'l'ower'edge of each of the transverse flanges andalso includes means for locating atable top on the. upper surfaceof theframe. The frame is preferably rectangular in shape and may bereadilyformed by cutting and bending the respective flanges and supportmembers out of the plane of the. sheet material constituting the frame.

A further'reinfor'cin'g flange may be provided on each of the outeredges of the side and end members and a cross member, integral with theframe may extend across the opening in a central area thereof. The tabletop locating means may take the form of a plurality of lugs bentupwardly fromthe frame or may take the form of recesses in the inneredges of the side and end members bounding the frame Fora more completeunderstanding of this invention, reference will now be made to theaccompanying drawings, in which Fig. 1 is a, perspective view of a tableembodying the invention;

Fig. 2 is a plan view of the sheet of material stamped to provide thebasis of the table of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is aside elevational view of the table of Fig.

Fig. 4 is an end elevational view of the Fig. 1 table;

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary-partially*broken-away view "of-a portionof thetable of the Fig. 1 showing a -modificationin which an outer peripheralflange has been bent upwardly instead-of downv wardly;

Fig. dis a plan View of asheet of material stampedand-cut to provideatable of slightly different characteristics from that shown in Fig. 7is a side elevational view of a table formed from the sheet stamped'asshown in Fig. 6;

Fig-8 is an end elevational view of the Fig. '7

table; I

Fig. 9 is a'plan view of a foot member'emp'loyed in the table of Fig. 7;and

Figs. 10, 11 and12 arefragmentary sectional views taken along thecorresponding lines in Fig; 6.

The table of Fig. lis intended to receive a glass top which for sakeofsimplicity is notshown in the drawing but is to be understood as beingdisposable on the top of the structure of Fig. 1 in connection withcertain hereinafter described members which prevent the lateraldisplacement of such glass top.

The table comprises a rectangular frame member 20 defined by opposingend members 20a and 2llb'and opposing side members 22 and 23 defining acentral opening. The. frame member 20 constituting the top of the tableneed not be solid because of the just described intention that a glasstop shall comprise the supporting surface of the table. A strengtheningor cross member 2| extends centrally across the opening between sides 22and 23 of the table and vertically depending reinforcing flanges 23a areformed on the opposing side and end members of the table. The endmembers 20a and 20b and the side members 22 and 23'each have smalllugs24 struck up therefrom to form deformations providing means forlocating the glass top which isrec'eived on the horizontal planarportions of the side and end members, thereby preventing lateraldisplacement of suchglass top. The inner edges of the end members 20aand 20b bounding the central opening are provided with depending framereinforcing flanges 20c and 20d which extend transversely of the frame20 for substantially the'entire Width of the opening between theopposing side members 22 and 23. Depending from the lower edge of theflanges 20c and 20d are table supports 25 and 26, each of which latterincludes a pair of legs 25c and 260. A strengthening brace 21 extendsbetween the inner faces of said supports. The legs 25c and 260 eachterminate in foot portions a-25b and 26a26b formed by rolling the metalof certain predetermined stamped portions thereabout.

The table shown in Fig. 1 (with the exception of brace 21) is formed bystamping and cutting a planar sheet-of material as illustrated in Fig. 2and thereafter bending the parts into position. The various elements arenumbered as in Fig. 1 wherefrom the reason for cutting the sheet asshown will be best understood. Score line in.- dicate the boundariesabout which certain elements are folded to eventuate the structure shownin Fig. 1.

If a somewhat differently appearing table is.

desired all or some of the lip or edge members or flanges may, as shownat 23?) in the fragmentary view of Fig. 5, be bent upwardly instead ofdependingly downwardly.

A modified embodiment of the invention is shown in Figs. 6 to 12,inclusive, these latter being substantially self-explanatory of theinvention. A sheet is stamped out as shown in Fig. 6, the procedurebeing substantially the same 'as that employed for the first hereindescribed embodiment of the invention, the transverse edges of theinterior openings remainingafter the leg portions are swung intosupporting position are bevelled or finished by turning down a smallamount of metal along the indicated fold lines (Fig. 10) Similar turnedover edges Stare also provided on the leg members (Fig. 11). The glasstop 50 is supported within each frame opening on inwardly extendingflanges '32 which are formed by folding the metal along the interiorlongitudinal edges of theopposing side members as shown in Figs. 8 and12.

Thus the table illustrated in Figs. 6 through 12 comprises a framemember 40 defined by opposing end members 4| and opposing side members42. A cross member 43 extends across the frame between the vmembers 42,thereby defining a pair of apertures in the top of the table in which apair'of glass tops are supported and from which depend a pair ofreinforcing flanges 44 and depending support members 45 and legs 46.

The foot members 33 used on the last referredto embodiment of theinvention are shown in' plan view in Fig. 9. The members are formedwith.

a vertically extending spring embracing portion 34-adapted to slide overand embrace the bottom of each of the depending legs 46 and be rivetedthereto as shown in Fig. 8. The flat horizontal foot portions 35-35extend laterally from the member 34 at the bottom of the latter. g

The method of forming the table of Figs. 6, 7 and 8 will be understoodfrom a joint study of Fig. 6 (the sheet from which the table is stamped)and Figs. 7 and 8 showing the side and end view of the table formed fromsaid Fig. 6. The brace 41 between the support members used in the lastdescribed embodiment is of slightly. different cross section than brace21 of Fig. l and is provided with'welding tabs'48 extending laterallytherefrom at each of the ends of the brace. (See Fig. 8). 1

In the embodiments of the invention disclosed in the foregoing itwillrbe noted that thelegs at each end of the table form a part of twoframe supporting members struck out or withdrawn from the centralapertures in the table top. supportin frame at opposite ends of theframe. These frame supportin members include areinforcing flangeextending transversely of .the

frame and at an angle thereto for substantially the entire widthjcf theaperture means, thus pro-'- 4 viding reinforcement for the frame itself.The legs for the table are part of the respective frame supportingmembers and are extensions of the flange itself. The frame supportingmembers are formed so that a, single brace member 21 or 41, for example,may be secured-between the inner faces thereof at a distance remote fromthe frame itself so that adequate bracing for the finished table may beprovided.

While I have shown particular embodiments of my invention, it will beunderstood, of course,

that I do not wish to be limited thereto since many modifications may bemade, and I, therefore, contemplate by the appended claims to cover anysuch modifications as fall Within the true spirit and scope of myinvention.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim and desire to secure byLetters Patent is:

1. A table comprising a frame having a central opening definedbyopposing side members and opposing end members formed from a sheet ofplanar material, a pair of frame reinforcing flanges dependinig'from theinner edges of said end members bounding said opening and each extendingtransversely ofsaid frame for substantially theentirewidth of saidopening between the opposing side members, a support member including apair, of legs depending from the lower edge of each of said transverseflanges in the plane thereof, and table top locatingmeans integral withan uppersurfacefof said frame.

2. The table recited in claim. Lhaving. across memberextendingitrahsversely. across said opening connecting said sidememb'ersand'integr'al therewith. V

3. A table comprising a substantially rectangular, sheet'metal framehaving a centralopening defined by integral opposing side members andopposing end members, a pair of frame reinforcing flanges depending fromthe inner edges of said end members bounding said opening and eachextending transversely of said frame for substantially the entire widthof said opening between the opposing side members, a pair of supportmembers each including apair of legs and each depending from the loweredge portion of each of said transverse flanges in the plane thereof,and table top locating deformations in the upper surface of said frame.4. The table recited in claim 3 wherein the outer peripheral edges ofsaid side and end members include reinforcing flanges extending at anangle to the plane of said frame. I

5. A table formed from a single piece of sheet material comprising aframe having a central opening defined by integral opposin 'side.mem

bers and opposing endmembers, a pairof flanges and support membersincluding legs bent downwardly from sheet material of said opening alonglines corresponding to the inner edges of said opposing end membersbounding said opening, said flanges being integral with saidinner edgesfor substantially the;entire distance between the opposing side membersand said support members including legs depending from the loweredges ofsaid flanges, and .table top locating deformations in the upper surfaceof said frame- U 6. The table recited in claim 5 .wherein' saiddeformations include upwardly extending lugs bent upwardly fromapertures in said frame.

7. The table recited in claim 5 wherein said deformations includerecesses in the inner edges of the side members bounding said centralopening.

8. The table recited in claim 5 wherein; the.

outer peripheral edges of said side and end mem- REFERENCES CITED Thefollowing references are of secord in the 10 file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 565,450 Gibson Aug. 11, 1896 15Number 6 Name Date Graumiller et a1. June 2, 1908 Whitney Aug. 16, 1910Dallmeyer Aug. 29, 1916 Cook May 31, 1921 Vossberg Oct. 10, 1922Duffield Apr. 24, 1923 Northropret a1 Jan. 14, 1930 Calhoun -1 Mar. 13,1934 Brown May 28, 1935 Powell Mar. 8, 1938 Vanderveld Mar. 4, 1941Exline et a1 Mar. 18, 1941 Shuflin June 14, 1949

